By Ethar Abdulhaq
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime president Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with Yahoo News released on Friday was confronted with photos of his torture victims. The killer asked for the photo. He said, “can you show me the photo?” The killer took it in his left hand and did not turn his face from it or show any sign of shock or being affected even out of acting. He observed the picture and got into his useless debates asking his interviewer, “did you verify the identity of those appearing in the photo?”
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This is the first time in which al-Assad tells the world through his response to the photo about torture crimes which he denies. He told them the scene is familiar and perhaps desired by him. He also told them that “the terrorism” which he calls on the world to fight with him against and in coordination with him to the degree that Americans welcomed him as if terrorism is not depicted in this photo. He did not even describe the photo as brutal. He took it and transferred between his hands for 40 seconds. As if he is saying, “this is mine. This is my world. This photo is not strange for me.”
Bashar before he asked to see the photo, he was doubting the credibility of any photo saying photos can be edited through Photoshop program. He then started arguing about the identity of the people who appeared in the caption. It means the matter was turned through few seconds and Photoshop was not important anymore. It is another declaration for the world except for Syrians who are certain about the photos of their victims and in the brutality of Bashar closed under layers of lies.
Al-Assad saw the photo of victims killed under torture by his intelligence. He claimed he saw such a photo for the first time asking interviewer IsIkoff to verify the identity and place of the photo. He repeated, “I want concrete evidence not just allegations.”
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Zaman al-Wasl was among the media pioneers to publish exclusive news and photos of the “Crime of the Century”. The “Crime of the Century” started to reveal beginning of 2014 when news emerged that a defector forensic photographer code-named “Caesar” had left Syria with a dossier containing almost 55 thousand images, many showing the bodies of detainees who died in detention centers. Since then, Zaman al-Wasl took initiative to investigate this dossier which shocked Syrians and the world. The newspaper arrived at certain answers without any doubt regarding the places in which the images were captioned and regarding some of the perpetrators in the crime and the identity of some victims.
Zaman al-Wasl presented that some images of victims of torture were taken in the garage of al-Mazzeh Military Hospital which is a close distance from People’s Palace.
Some of the involved in erasing the Crime of the Century including regime military personnel were identified like Rakan Sabsabi, Khalid Hurani, Osama Hili and Mohamed Taftankji. Zaman al-Wasl even tracked Taftankji to Germany where he fled under pretext of seeking asylum.
Also, the newspaper revealed with images and evidence the killing under torture. It published photos for the first time for two children Hamza al-Khatib and Tamer al-Shari who were brutally tortured to death. It also published photos of other children killed under torture by regime.
Zaman al-Wasl contributed to the identification of several victims killed under torture in regime detentions and narrated their stories by relative testimonies and documentation including: Abdullah al-Hariri, Ahmad Shihadeh al-Shanuan, Hasm Idris Idris, Khaldoun Abdullah Shaqir (57 years, disabled man), Ayham Omran, student Rihab Alawi whose photo caused a double shock.
Zaman al-Wasl presents names of officers, personnel and those involved in the Crime of the Century to Public Opinion and the families of those missing, martyrs, and injured. The criminals are:
- Director of al-Mazzeh Hospital Dr. Ghasan Hadad
- Administration officer Colonel Hussein Maluk
- Security officer Dr. Taha Assad (skin doctor) and director of clinics department in al-Mazzeh Hospital
- Lieutenant Colonel Shadi Rizq Zudeh, officer responsible for counting names of killed
- Conscript Ali Barazi from Hama, disciplinary personnel 104 course-responsible of gathering and investigating and transporting personnel to the hospital to do the mission of packaging bodies and putting them in cars
- Conscript Jayker Hasan-Kurd from Efrin-he used to beat bodies and step on them making fun of them where he considered he was signing them to arrive in heaven and meet huris.
- Khudar al-Abud from Hasaka-he is informant of his colleagues, beats and steps on bodies.
- Khalid al-Hurani () from Hasaka-he was arrested on the background of the photo published by Zaman al-Wasl and was released later on.
- Rakan Sabsbi (appeared in Zaman al-Wasl photo) from al-Khaldiye neighborhood in Homs city.
- Mohamed Taftankji (appeared in Zaman al-Wasl photo)- from Aleppo, his father resides in Russia.
- Mohamed Eid from Aleppo, kitchen worker, he participates in carrying bodies. He said once that he wants to pee in the food of detainees.
- Sameeh Salibi from Salmiye-he was very pro-regime until he was released from hospital due to his weakened vision. He volunteered in the popular committees later on. (Translation by Rana Abdul)
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